Squash for the 2020 Olympics

Squash-the healthiest sport to play- has been bidding to get into the Olympics for quite a long time now. The top players of this fast paced and demanding sport have repeatedly said that they would give everything to participate in the biggest celebration of sport. According to India’s Saurav Ghosal-an Asian Games gold medallist- in an interview with Essentially Sports, “Every single person associated with squash would be over the moon”. Arguably the best players in the men’s and women’s events, Ramy Ashour and Nicol David have also made similar statements.
Squash as a sport has been growing tremendously over the past  few years. According to Wikipedia, there are 188 countries that have at least one squash court. There are players from around 10 different countries in the top 20 Men’s and Women’s singles rankings. This goes to show the extent and reach of the sport world wide.

India in recent times has seen huge success in the sport. Regular medals at the Commonwealth and Asian Games including a men’s team gold in Incheon 2014 have made most players quite popular. India’s best male player so far, Saurav Ghosal is currently ranked 19 in the world. Dipika Pallikal reached as high as number 10 while her close friend Joshna Chinappa hasn’t stayed far behind. Joshna has won quite a few events including the recent Victoria Open.

Squash is a very healthy sport and has remained doping free so far, which means it could be set as a great example for youngsters. It meets all the criteria required to being recognised as an Olympic Sports. Popular figures from around the world and especially from the world of sport including Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Ken Wallace, Kim Clijsters have shown their support to the game. Though comparisons shouldn’t be made, to be fair to the sport, it requires players to reach higher,faster and stronger than most other Olympic sports do. The sport and it’s highly celebrated players certainly deserve a chance at the quadrennial event.

Here is a video featuring Ramy Ashour and Nicol David backing the bid for Squash to be included in the 2020 Olympics.

As sports fanatics, let us hope that this amazing and thrilling sport gets the opportunity it deserves. Visit Inside the games to lend your support.

Edited by Aashna Bakshi